Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany for a stunning period that was marked by numerous crises. Despite Brexit, economic problems, and the external pressure on the European Union, Germany remained as stable as possible during the period of Merkel’s leadership. Several critical factors of Merkel’s personality that show transformative traits have given her the support of Germans that allowed her to remain Chancellor of Germany for sixteen years. This essay will analyze Angela Merkel’s leadership style and how it helped her and her country to push through political and economic crises.
During the time Merkel led Germany, there were adverse events that tested her ability to make the right decision. For example, the Brexit referendum has caused a significant stirrup in the European Union. In fact, this event shows why Angela Merkel can be seen by some as Europe’s “leader.” Germany was the country that other members of the EU turned their gazes to in search of a proper answer to Britain’s odd political decision (“Looking to Mutti,” 2016). Angela Merkel did not rush with her commentaries, which kept other EU members from doing so as well and kept other countries at bay. This delay gave everyone enough time to plan a viable strategy to move forward as an alliance. Brexit did not further divide EU members partially due to Merkel’s answer to this event, which was both lenient and decisive (“Looking to Mutti,” 2016). With a clear understanding of the consequences of this crisis, Merkel pushed forward with the determination that assured Germans of the appropriateness of her response.
At the same time, Merkel has provided a cautious yet encouraging message to the public. Her way of conducting business with European and American leaders has shown that the actions taken after meticulous consideration and careful planning can lead to greater unity within one’s country. Janning (2019) states that “Germany appeared to prefer stability and the status quo” (para. 11). Despite the outside push toward conflict in relationships among transatlantic partners, Merkel remained focused on keeping her external communications as close to positive as possible. Moreover, her take on financial matters has created a stable economic environment for the same reason, as the German currency kept its stability over the euro crisis (“Looking to Mutti,” 2016). This well-calculated approach reveals how Merkel’s leadership promotes self-balancing political and economic systems.
Even at the end of her term, Merkel was able to show her leadership skills by leaving the country on a path she considered the safest. She continuously attempted to elevate the minister of defense, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, to become a suitable candidate for leading Germany by allowing her to attain the reputation necessary to become a Chancellor (Karnitschnig, 2019). This move shows that Merkel has the essential qualities of a transformative leader, including her ability to critically analyze a situation and motivate her followers in times of need. As a result of Merkel’s actions, the political stability of the country was not disrupted by any internal and external factors. Despite the fact that her proposed successor did not participate in the recent election, the German people voted for the most suitable and not the most emotionally appealing leader.
In conclusion, Angela Merkel’s leadership style aligned perfectly with the country’s direction and voters’ preferences. She showed the qualities of a transformative leader through elevating others to take action and based her decisions on the opinions of well-informed individuals and factual information. Due to this approach that is deeply rooted in solid evidence sources, Germany’s economy remained stable for decades, and its relationships with neighboring countries stayed as positive as possible in times of political crises.
References
Janning, J. (2019). Germany and the crisis of Atlanticism. ECFR.
Karnitschnig, M. (2019). Angela Merkel’s succession maneuver. Politico.
Looking to Mutti. (2016). The Economist.